


I Love You So Much It's Stupid

by NotSoHotsuin



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: AU, Best Friends, Fluff, Humor, Kisses, M/M, No Spoilers, laugh at everything and yourself as you write it, tbh thats nothing new when you're writing daichi u kinda have to put on comedy goggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 18:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11167560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoHotsuin/pseuds/NotSoHotsuin
Summary: A short story about how Hibiki/Daichi first met, and how they slowly stretched the border of their perfectly platonic relationship to mean something different.All studies for exams have been replaced with hugs, and no one is disappointed.





	I Love You So Much It's Stupid

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very old fic that I planned on deleting just because I didn't like the beginning (nor the premise really- it was one of my first attempts to just get the two to confess to each other). However, since it took so long to write (and deleting it would be kind of a waste) I hope someone finds enjoyment in it.

It started with a pat on the shoulder.

 

A simple gesture.

 

“Um, could you tell me where I can find the first-year classroom? Please say yes.”

Talking to someone so casually shouldn’t have made him tense up. Daichi had been lost for maybe twenty minutes now, and no one seemed to have a clue where his classroom was. The boy he stopped to ask for help raised his hand to point in the desired direction.

“Down the hall, to the left. I can take you there if you want, I’m headed there anyways.” Relief washed over him when he realized he was on the correct floor, and that someone would act as his guide to boot. There was a smile on his face, one he tried his best to hold back not to look too excited.

“Thanks, man! It’s hell navigating through these small corridors. I’m Daichi, by the way. You?” The other student didn’t have the luxury to reply before they were interrupted by the sound of bells. Instead of talking, he took a hold of Daichi’s wrist and ran for it.

 

To this day, Daichi still felt as if his encounter with Hibiki was one of the most fortunate events in his entire life.

 

* * *

 

“Whoever thought adding letters to math would make sense was very wrong.”

“You can’t fail this exam, too.” Hibiki replied with his eyes still focused on the equations in his notebook. He almost didn’t notice Daichi’s apathetic stare in his direction.

“...Did you really have to say  _ ‘too’ _ ?”

“If you don’t want me to say  _ ‘too’ _ then get better grades.” Daichi grumbled and leaned against the soft couch cushions. His hands came up to the back of his neck, massaging a sore spot to ease the pain from staying in one position for too long. Ever since they met during their first year, they’ve always had regular study sessions on Sundays. Hibiki was consistently getting decent grades, and Daichi was… well, he was doing his best.

“Y’know, we could totally play some classic NES games right about now…” Trying his best while taking a lot of liberties. There was a grin on his face. He tried to mask his enthusiasm by whispering it as if it was something to be kept secret. He partly said it to see the look on Hibiki’s face, which was a mixed feeling of disbelief and eagerness.

 

“Daichi, this is importa-” Hibiki had no chance to reply before Daichi’s hand shut the book closed. His other hand came to rest on Hibiki’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Fun is important too! We just got back from class. Let's study later.” Playing games was tempting, especially since Daichi was the only one of them that owned a classic NES console, but the thought of Daichi getting scolded by his parents was not a sight Hibiki wanted to witness again. Daichis parents were actually rather strict. The news came as a surprise at first, but it probably shouldn’t have. Some kids achieve higher scores while pressured, and others fold under the pressure. It was because of this reason that Hibiki felt a strong urge to help Daichi with his math homework. In return, Daichi helped him with his history homework. Their study sessions started their friendship during their first year, and now their study sessions were pretty much excuses to spend more time together, playing games or watching movies.

“What about your parents?”

“Do you hate fun? Is that what this is? You waited three years to tell me how much you hate fun? Not gonna lie, that’s a deal-breaker for me. I’m breaking up with you.” When Daichi saw Hibiki smile, he pulled him into a suffocating hug. It had become so easy to tell what Hibiki was thinking, what he wanted to say, and how he planned to express himself. It was because of this that Daichi was able to get his way most of the time. They still studied whenever Hibiki set his mind to it, but he’d always allow Daichi to get a say in it sooner or later without much disagreement.

Three years ago, Daichi never would have thought the guy he asked for directions would become his best friend. There were people you just connected to on a deeper level, and Hibiki was one of those people. Hibiki understood Daichis persona perfectly. Even now, as Daichi held his arms wrapped around him a little too close, Hibiki didn’t mention it or shy away. Instead, he returned the hug for however long was necessary.

It was nice to spend time like this. They were great friends, but it was starting to get harder to draw the line as of recently. Daichi would feel their legs bump into one another, or their cheeks touch on occasion, and a part of him wanted to build on those moments. However, he was not fully sure what adding to this already perfect relationship would mean. There was also a strange unsettling feeling in his chest whenever he thought about adding something to the relationship. Hibiki broke the tension.

“Fine, lets play some games then.”

“Hm? Oh, uh, right. Games.” He gave this feeling a lot of thought and spaced out on multiple occasions. It was amazing how he was able to hear anything at all. As much as Daichi did not want to let go, he had to go get the controllers so they could engage in some fun gameplay before his parents got home.   
  


He  _ had to _ .

Did he, really?   
  


“Daichi?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you forget the games?”

“Uh no, it’s just-” He adjusted his position a little bit and leaned his cheek against Hibiki’s. “-you make a great body pillow.” He could feel Hibiki’s smile, and hugged him a little tighter. It prompted Hibiki to wrap his other arm around Daichi as well.

“How long do you want to stay like this?” The smile on Daichi’s face faded. It was the first time Hibiki put forward a serious question, hence why it was so hard to find the right answer without seeming dishonest. They had always hugged for longer periods of time, and Hibiki never asked him about it then. No answer was prepared for this. He wasn't even sure if there was an answer. It just felt right to hug. Hibiki rested his head in the crook of Daichi’s neck, which was enough to coax a reply out of Daichi, no matter how vague.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Is your plan to keep me here forever until the exams are over?” He breathed a little easier knowing there really was no seriousness behind the question. Hibiki was still playfully joking around as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Is… that something I can actually do? Sweet! I get to skip exams and hang out with my best friend for a whole week.”

“Daichi,” He really liked how Hibiki said his name in that  _ ‘I’m done with you and don't want to deal with this anymore’  _ tone of voice. Hibiki was already rolling his eyes at the suggestion, but stayed comfortably put in Daichis arms. Daichi always thought Hibiki said his name differently compared to how he said everyone else’s names. He really wished that was true. It was touching to imagine Hibiki would subconsciously reserve a special place for him in his heart, enough for it to show through his voice. Maybe that was the appeal- the feeling he wanted Hibiki to express was one he tried so desperately to provoke. 

 

That feeling never came though, despite all his efforts to make his feelings known to Hibiki. He’d still hear that same soft-spoken tone and hope for something else to follow for once. He must have sighed and made a comment out loud, because Hibiki gently tugged at his clothes to ask him if something was wrong.

“N-nevermind. Just thinking of exams.” Hibiki frowned slightly.

“If you're going to lie to me, pick something more believable.” Daichi’s arms held Hibiki a little tighter to shut out the voices in his head that told him it was hopeless to keep trying. He laughed Hibiki's comment off as a joke, hoping Hibiki couldn't tell he was pretending to be okay with this.

Time passed, and the silence grew ever more prominent. It wasn't a bad thing. In a sense, it helped Daichi focus his attention on Hibiki much easier. Then again, it also made him awfully aware of how much time had passed since he wrapped his arms around him. 

“...You’re really not letting go until i let go, huh?”

“That’s right.” Now that Hibiki confirmed it, Daichi wondered if it was the truth. He moved his hand up to the back of Hibiki’s neck to play with the locks of his hair. It might have been part boredom and part curiosity, but if Hibiki really didn't plan on letting go who was to say he shouldn't make it a challenge? 

 

Would Hibiki really stand by his word if Daichi started to get a little too intimate? Testing this boundary was not the reason he decided to go for Hibiki’s hair. He saw Io run her hands through it and just had to know if it was as soft as she claimed it to be. It always seemed unfair. Io got to touch his hair freely, but if he wanted to give it a go, everyone gave them funny looks. He had to pretend he was trying to brush a spider off Hibiki’s jacket to get away with it. The memory was still painfully fresh. As figured, Hibiki’s grip relaxed at the touch. It was probably not a bright idea to assume Hibiki would be okay with it. Knowing that fact made him slightly disappointed. He had no problem with Io, so why was this any different? Just as Daichi thought their hug was over, Hibiki moved his hand over Daichi’s thigh. Hibiki’s soft and drawn out breaths caressed his neck, and he soon realized it had become much harder to focus.

_ This has to be an accident.  _ Even if Daichi thought Hibiki had momentarily lost his mind, he continued to run his finger through his hair, trying to see exactly how far Hibiki would let him go before pushing him away. This was also one of the rare moments they had some privacy to do as they wished. No guardians were watching over them. No classmates either. Knowing how empty the apartment was made Daichi a little nervous. Hibiki move his hand over Daichi’s thigh carefully, his movements were almost mimicking the fingers that were busy tangling themselves into a web of dark hair. Was this revenge for playing with his curls? Daichi breathed out a little too heavily, unaware he was holding his breath the entire time.

“Daichi-” There was something startling about getting used to a quiet atmosphere and then having it broken by a whisper. “-are you okay?” He wanted to scold Hibiki for asking such a dumb question when his hand was starting to work its way up to a rather sensitive area. It was impossible for this not to be intentional.

“Y-yeah! Just fine,” His voice sounded anything but fine, but he had to try and pretend he didn't want Hibiki's hand touching him there. He tried his best to ignore the voice in his head practically begging Hibiki to move that hand to a more comfortable area. No, that was not exactly true, but the truth made him shiver. He did not have the restraint to think about such things and not react in some way to Hibiki’s touches.

“Alright then.” That sentence might have harbored a more mischievous intent, but Daichi failed to read further into it. His mind was trying to divert his attention from where Hibiki’s hand was.

The spot where Hibiki’s hand was placed had become rather warm and sensitive. It looked like he was taking advantage of that by gradually moving his thumb along the surface. Either that or it was all Daichi’s imagination. The nuzzling could be left to interpretation too, the subtle squeeze of his thigh and the way Hibiki's fingers curled around his shirt could also be left up to interpretation. These things were not that uncommon, but they were enough not to make him think too much about it. However, when something warm brushed his neck, he felt all the heat in his body rush to his cheeks. It would have been easy to pass this off as wishful thinking had Hibiki not made a clear effort to rid Daichi of this confusion. 

 

A low muffled noise escaped the back of his throat, and he quickly moved his hand over his mouth to swallow whatever embarrassing sound it planned on making next. Hibiki placed both his hands on Daichi’s cheeks and pulled back. Daichi wished he had some sort of reply ready for when their eyes met, but his mind was too preoccupied thinking about how many times Hibiki kissed his neck to notice anything else around him.

Hibiki allowed the back of his fingers to outline Daichi’s cheekbones while the other hand brushed his bangs away from his face.

“You should put your hair up more.” There was a delay.

“I-I’m sorry, what?” Daichi lowered his hand so he could speak.

“Your bangs stick out so much.” He was not really used to Hibiki touching his cheeks like this. It felt like something he’d love getting used to though. Hibiki only ever moved his bangs away from his face and touched his cheek when he got injured. At one point he even considered faking an injury to get Hibiki to do it again, but putting Hibiki through unnecessary worry made him give up on the idea very fast. He leaned into the touch very subtly, trying to enjoy the moment.

“It fits you, but it hurts my eyes.” Daichi had not been able to look up at Hibiki directly until he pointed this out. The look Daichi was giving him was one of shock and mild amusement.

“Wow, uh… Is this really the time to tell me you think my hairdo sucks?” Hibiki almost retracted his hand, but gave rephrasing the sentence another chance.

“No I mean-” He placed his fingers underneath Daichi’s bangs to hold them further away from his face and leaned much closer.

“The tips get in my eyes when you hug me from this angle.” 

“Oh my god you meant it  _ literally _ -” Daichi bit his tongue and fixed his gaze downwards. He didn't want to see what his face looked like. He didn't want to remember what he said and how badly he misinterpreted Hibiki’s words. Hibiki gave him an opening and he messed it up. The worst part about this conversation was that he could hear his voice crack under the pressure. It sounded ridiculous, and there was no way he could make a confession work even if he had the courage to do so. Who would take it seriously? The last thing he wanted was to accidentally make it sound like a joke or a cruel prank of some kind. 

 

When his eyes returned to focus on Hibiki, he saw that familiar smile that always showed itself when he said something to lighten the mood. The only difference now was that he was not trying to crack jokes or make light of the situation. This was one of those rare moments he hoped he could have five minutes of silence with Hibiki without doing something stupid. Not being able to utter the simple words “I like you” made him disappointed in himself.

“Daichi?” Even when Hibiki sounded concerned, he spoke so fondly. He should have stopped frowning. It wasn't that he was unhappy. He just expected more of himself. Thinking this was all his imagination at play was starting to make him feel far too saddened, because nothing Hibiki did had been completely unusual. Well, there were those neck kisses, but he was starting to doubt those ever took place.

 

“Anyone home?” Hibiki gently tapped his knuckles against Daichi’s forehead and smiled, but the smile was short-lived, seeing as Daichi’s expression didn't change. One of Hibiki’s hands rested gently on Daichi’s shoulder while the other came to rest on his thigh again. Daichi placed his own hand over Hibiki’s and tried not to speak. A cracked voice did not sound reliable or confident. Instead, he let his thumb gently rub tiny circles around Hibiki’s knuckles. The more he thought about their hug the more he wanted to ask if this time was different. If his voice wouldn't have betrayed him, he’d have asked. It felt different, but he had been wrong before.

He did not notice the lack of space between them until he felt Hibiki’s forehead rest on his. Hibiki’s hand took a hold of Daichi’s and gave it a small squeeze. When Daichi actually fully got a grasp of the situation, he moved his hands down to Hibiki’s waist and leaned in closer.

Had he not heard the key in the door rustle maybe he wouldn't have yelped and pushed Hibiki back far enough for him to slide off the couch. Hibiki managed to pull himself back up by the time Daichi’s father entered the apartment, luckily enough. It was the usual confrontation from thereon out. Daichi would imply they were studying and his father wouldn't buy it for a second. Instead, he insisted Hibiki should go home so Daichi could focus on his exams. There was no easy way for Daichi to tell him he was lost without Hibiki’s guidance. On late work days like these, it was best to not argue and just do as he said.

 

Daichi ended up saying goodbye to Hibiki a little too early that day, and thanks to his father's iron-fist ruling, he was not allowed to spend time outside the apartment until the exams were over. Hibiki and Daichi still texted each other back and forth to help each other study, but the sessions just weren't the same. What pained him most was that he was going to have no free time to spend with any of his friends, which in return also meant he was not going to get an explanation for what almost happened in his living room until the exams were over.

 

* * *

 

After they tackled all their exams, they finally had some time to spend together. Now that everything was taken care of, Hibiki was welcome to visit again. Despite what happened before the exams, neither of them acted differently about it. They saw each other in class just as they normally would, and neither would act as if anything had changed. It was alright during the first couple of days, but it was getting harder to live with this uncertainty. It felt like something they should talk about. Daichi had wanted to bring it up, but it didn't seem like something suitable to talk about over the phone. It also didn’t seem suitable to bring it up in school where all kinds of rumors could spread in mere hours. So it just got buried along the way by more important things. Now that everything was over, they could regain the time they lost without their parents criticizing them for slacking off. 

 

It was simpler to spend time at Daichi’s place since his apartment was closer to the school. That was usually how they had done it since their first year. Daichi unlocked the apartment door and threw his school bag on the floor, followed by his jacket. It was a bad habit to just throw everything down, but he couldn’t help it. He kicked his shoes off and made sure to lock the apartment door after they stepped inside.

 

“Free at last! Dad won’t be home for another two hours so we can do whatever we wa-” Daichi lost his footing and would have taken a sharp fall had the wall not been there to support his weight. Hibiki had tossed his arms around him and pressed their lips together the moment they got the smallest bit of privacy. Intimacy used to be spontaneous, but seeing Hibiki suddenly act bold wasn't something Daichi planned on rejecting. He just wished he could have been informed beforehand so he did not have to spend the first few seconds in shock. When the realization settled, he moved his hand to cup Hibiki’s cheek and cocked his head slightly to deepen the kiss. Hibiki eased his grip and pulled back to give Daichi some room to breathe.

 

“We got interrupted last time, so I thought we could finish it.”

“...Um, yeah. That’s… totally what I was thinking too! I am not confused at all.” It wasn't as confusing as it was hard to believe. Daichi knew he had feelings for Hibiki that he could not really describe well, but he never thought they would be mutual. He was also a little slow to realize just exactly what those feelings were until Hibiki started kissing his neck.

“You said we could do whatever we wanted,”

“You know that’s not what I meant! Not gonna lie though, I’m happy you made the first move.”

“I know,”   
“I mean, it was kinda awkward so I just thought- H-hey, what do you mean  _ ‘I know’ _ ? Dude, I could have made a move. You don’t know. I’ve got moves. Lots of em. Like, er…” Hibiki closed the gap between their lips to rid Daichi of the embarrassment that would inevitably come with finishing that sentence, and to save himself from having to listen to it. Daichi was not going to let it end there though. As they paused to breathe, he kept the topic going.

“W-why do you say it as if it’s obvious? I can be smooth. I promise you, I can be smooth!” Shouting was not going to make his argument sound any better, but he was not fine with being labeled oblivious for future reference. He tried to adjust his position but ended up slipping on his own jacket in the process. He slid down the wall and dragged Hibiki down with him until they were fully seated on the floor, shoes and clothes in a mess. He took a quick look around before he met Hibiki’s gaze and offered him an apologetic smile.

“See? Second base. Very smooth.” How painfully stupid and yet so endearing. It was impossible not to laugh or hug Daichi as hard as he could possibly manage. Hibiki was contemplating how to say  _ ‘You’re stupid and I love it’  _ without hurting his feelings, but settled for another kiss on the lips. 

 

It was uncomfortable on the floor, and it was cold, but it sure as hell wasn’t lonely anymore.


End file.
